BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Federal officials say telecommunications giant CenturyLink, Inc. is getting $1.9 million to provide rural broadband internet service in rural areas of Montana.
The Federal Communications Commission says the money will help provide high-speed internet service to 6,300 residents who currently lack access. The agency says more than 55 percent of the state’s rural population, or about 245,000 people, lack such access.
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The FCC says CenturyLink must complete two-thirds of its new broadband commitments within two years, and the remainder by the third year.
The Louisiana-based company describes itself as the third largest telecommunications company in the United States.
The FCC says it hopes to connect 19 million people living in rural areas of the U.S. with high-speed internet access by 2020.
